The Salinan Land Trust: Returning Ancestral Lands to Indigenous Stewardship
A unified initiative to return ancestral lands to Salinan stewardship, creating a network of cultural sanctuaries, ecological restoration sites, and Indigenous-led climate solutions across California's Central Coast.
Support Our Vision
Building a Foundation for Cultural Sovereignty
The Salinan Land Trust is being formed as a unified entity that transcends individual family lines and tribal council divisions. This neutral organization will serve as a vehicle for healing historical divides while creating a shared foundation for cultural regeneration.
Our trust will hold sacred and ecologically significant lands in perpetuity, ensuring they remain protected for future generations. By recentering Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in land stewardship practices, we're creating a model that honors both our cultural heritage and the urgent environmental challenges facing our region.
Land Stewardship
Holding ancestral territories in perpetuity for cultural and ecological purposes
Knowledge Preservation
Recentering Salinan Traditional Ecological Knowledge in conservation practices
Community Hub
Serving as a resource center for Indigenous-led programming and education
Our early efforts focus on relationship-building, coalition development, and strategic planning to prepare for acquiring our first properties. By creating a solid organizational foundation, we ensure the longevity and impact of this critical work.
Why This Work Matters Now
Cultural Healing
The Salinan people need permanent, neutral spaces to reclaim cultural practices, languages, and ceremonies that have been fragmented through generations of displacement.
Ecological Urgency
California's Central Coast faces severe drought, increasing wildfire risk, and accelerating biodiversity loss. Indigenous stewardship methods offer proven solutions to these interconnected challenges.
Historic Justice
Generations of displacement and colonization have left the Salinan people without secure land base, limiting cultural continuity and opportunities for ecological leadership.
Perfect Timing
Growing momentum behind Land Back initiatives, increasing climate urgency, and supportive state and federal policies create an unprecedented window for meaningful action.
This convergence of cultural need, ecological crisis, and policy opportunity creates a powerful moment for transformative change. The time to act is now, while we still have elders who carry traditional knowledge and while key landscapes remain available for protection.
Our Guiding Vision & Mission
Vision: A resilient, thriving Salinan homeland network where land, culture, and people heal together.
Our Mission
We are committed to returning and stewarding ancestral lands under a unified, sovereign trust; fostering cultural revival through intergenerational knowledge transmission; and demonstrating ecological resilience led by Indigenous wisdom and practices.
This work is not just about reclaiming physical spaces, but about rebuilding the reciprocal relationship between our people and the landscapes that have sustained us for thousands of years. Through this reconnection, we create pathways for cultural continuity and climate resilience.
Our Strategic Goals & Objectives
1
Land Back & Protection
  • Legally establish the trust with strong cultural and ecological bylaws
  • Begin acquiring culturally significant properties through purchase and donation
  • Create land management plans that center Indigenous practices
2
Cultural Revitalization
  • Create year-round programming for ceremony, foodways, and language
  • Document and preserve traditional knowledge with elder participation
  • Establish craft workshops and cultural materials gathering areas
3
Ecological Stewardship
  • Restore native habitats, waterways, and wildlife corridors
  • Implement Indigenous burning practices to reduce fire risk
  • Create seed banks and native plant nurseries for restoration
4
Education & Leadership
  • Provide youth apprenticeships in traditional and contemporary skills
  • Host seasonal cultural camps for Salinan families
  • Develop curriculum for schools about Salinan history and ecology
These interconnected goals create a holistic approach to land return and cultural revitalization. By addressing the ecological, cultural, and educational dimensions simultaneously, we ensure that our work creates lasting impact across generations.
How We'll Accomplish Our Vision
01
Legal & Administrative Setup
File as a nonprofit land trust with strong cultural and ecological stewardship bylaws. Form a diverse, representative board of Salinan elders, youth, and leaders.
02
Strategic Partnerships
Work with conservation organizations, agencies, and allies to identify and secure priority lands. Build relationships with funders committed to Indigenous-led conservation.
03
Community Engagement
Host gatherings, visioning circles, and cultural events to ensure all Salinan voices are represented in the trust's development and programming.
04
01
Funding & Development
Launch grant campaigns and donor outreach; establish endowments for land purchase and ongoing stewardship. Create sustainable funding streams through programs and partnerships.
02
Capacity Building
Train emerging Salinan leaders in land trust management, ecological restoration, and advocacy. Develop protocols for cultural knowledge transmission and land management.
Our approach emphasizes inclusive governance, strategic relationship-building, and sustainable organizational development. By creating strong systems from the beginning, we ensure that the Salinan Land Trust can effectively serve our community for generations to come.
Expected Outcomes & Impact

The Salinan Land Trust will create measurable change across cultural, ecological, and community dimensions, establishing a model that can be adapted by other tribal nations seeking land return.
Cultural Renewal
A unified entity to safeguard Salinan culture, language, and traditional practices for future generations. Regular cultural events that strengthen community bonds and identity.
Land Protection
First properties secured under trust protection, with long-term management plans that integrate traditional knowledge and contemporary conservation science.
Community Unity
Salinan families and councils working together with shared purpose and vision, healing historical divisions through collaborative stewardship and governance.
Through these outcomes, the Salinan Land Trust will demonstrate the power of Indigenous-led conservation to address both cultural healing and ecological restoration simultaneously. Our work will create a replicable model that centers sovereignty, traditional knowledge, and community leadership.
Our Leadership & Key Participants
The Salinan Land Trust brings together respected elders, experienced cultural practitioners, and emerging leaders from across Salinan family lines and communities. This diverse leadership ensures that our work represents the full spectrum of Salinan perspectives and expertise.
Salinan Elders
Jose Freeman, Mary Rodgers, Penny Pierce Hurt,
Dee Dee Perry, Ed Pierce, Karen White, and others who carry ancestral knowledge and provide cultural guidance.
Cultural Leaders
Gregg Castro, Zachary O'Hagen, Jessica Rodgers, Shaunie Briggs, Caitlyn Rodgers, Matt Briggs, Allison Herrera, Brooke Tavernetti, Josh Tavernetti
Professional Advisors
Maija West, Connor Jandreau, Tyler Suttle, Michelle Glowa, Alan Waxman, Maria Vollmar, Sally Calhoun, Penny (Las Pilitas Nursery)
Emerging Leaders
Garrett Segobia, Ryan Beech, Tina Perry, Terry Sylvestor, James Henry and other youth committed to carrying forward cultural practices
Our leadership model intentionally bridges generations, combining the wisdom of elders with the energy and vision of younger community members. This approach ensures both cultural continuity and innovative thinking as we navigate complex challenges.
Budget & Resource Allocation
The Salinan Land Trust requires thoughtful investment across several key areas to establish a strong foundation and begin our land return work. Our budget priorities reflect both immediate organizational needs and longer-term land acquisition goals.
First-year priorities include legal establishment of the trust, community engagement processes to ensure inclusive governance, and initial land identification. As the organization matures, a greater percentage of resources will shift toward direct land acquisition, restoration activities, and cultural programming.
We are seeking multi-year funding partnerships with foundations committed to Indigenous sovereignty, environmental justice, and community-led conservation. This long-term support will enable us to build organizational capacity while pursuing time-sensitive land acquisition opportunities.
Ensuring Long-Term Sustainability
Financial Sustainability
We're building a diversified funding model that combines philanthropic support with self-generated revenue streams. Our sustainability plan includes:
  • Establishing an endowment fund to support long-term land stewardship and cultural programming
  • Developing cultural tourism and educational programming as ethical income sources
  • Creating a donor circle of committed supporters who provide multi-year unrestricted funding
Organizational Sustainability
Beyond financial resources, we're building systems for organizational resilience:
  • Forming strategic alliances with conservation groups and Indigenous organizations
  • Developing leadership pathways for younger community members
  • Creating knowledge transmission protocols to ensure cultural practices continue
  • Seeking state and federal grants for ecological and cultural restoration work
By addressing both financial and organizational dimensions of sustainability, we ensure that the Salinan Land Trust will serve as a permanent steward of returned lands, regardless of changes in funding environments or leadership transitions.
Our Vision for the Future
Healing the Land, Healing the People
1
Years 1-3
Establish the trust, acquire initial properties, and begin restoration work. Build organizational capacity and community engagement processes.
2
Years 4-7
Expand land holdings to create ecological corridors. Develop robust cultural programming and intergenerational knowledge transmission.
3
Years 8-10
Create a network of interconnected Salinan lands with dedicated cultural sanctuaries, ecological restoration hubs, and community gathering spaces.
4
Beyond
Serve as a model for other tribal nations seeking land return, sharing organizational frameworks, funding strategies, and stewardship approaches.
Our long-term vision extends beyond physical land return to encompass cultural revival, ecological healing, and community empowerment. Through this work, we demonstrate how Indigenous leadership can transform landscapes, rebuild cultural continuity, and create models of human-environmental relationship that benefit all communities.